Liu Yao said this, smiled at the uncomfortable guests in the private room, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Hey guys, is there anything wrong with what I said?"
"No. No. What Boss Liu said is absolutely right. We are here to make peace." One of the Mediterranean editors with thin hair apologized with a smile.
Liu Yao sneered, and stretched out his hand to ask Tao Mu to sit down next to him. He took out a bunch of car keys from his pocket like offering a treasure and pushed them in front of Tao Mu: "Aren't you learning to drive? I discussed it with your father Xiao Qi and decided to buy you a car. If I can't drive to pick you up due to something, it will save you the trouble of running back and forth between school and Houhai."
Tao Mu recognized it as the Porsche key at a glance, frowned, and was about to refuse——
Meng Qi said, "This is a gift from your father Yao and I. If you really regard us as your father, then accept it. How can a son refuse a gift from his father?"
"Yes, yes. In ancient times, people believed that gifts from elders could not be refused. If you really regard us as your father, you cannot refuse." Liu Yao echoed Meng Qi's words. He couldn't wait to stuff the car keys into Tao Mu's hands.
"You don't have to feel bad for us. Thanks to you, your father Xiao Qi and I can make up for this little money." Liu Yao said, glancing at the dozen or so editors next to him, smiling: "Everyone, is this what you mean?"
"Yes, yes." What else could the editors say? They could only put on a smile and agree.
"All right. You are all cultured people, so let's not be pretentious. Tell me, how do you want to make peace?" Liu Yao crossed his legs and leaned leisurely against the back of the sofa. The cigar used for business talk and showing off is held between the index finger and the middle finger, with no intention of lighting it.
Even so, his tough and unruly temperament still frightened the dozen or so editors-in-chief, who looked at each other in bewilderment and were unable to speak.
When they were bewitched by Yao Wenxiao and used money to discredit Tao Mu and Yese, they never thought that Liu Yao would be so difficult to deal with. They had actually sent people to keep an eye on Yao Wenxiao a long time ago, and had evidence that Yao Wenxiao had bribed them. They were also able to hire a lawyer from Yanjing who specialized in economic compensation, and sued so many media outlets from the perspectives of infringement and illegal gains.
——How many gossip weeklies and entertainment newspapers are there in the circle? Which one of them doesn’t make money and gain traffic by fabricating rumors and scandals about celebrities? The relationship between celebrities and journalists is complementary. Celebrities rely on reporters to make their presence felt, gain attention and increase their popularity, while newspapers and magazines rely on reporting news about celebrities to increase sales and earn advertising fees. So generally speaking, celebrities don’t dare to fall out with the media. What I’m afraid of is angering the media and getting banned. In the past, even if a celebrity was angry and sued a newspaper or magazine, at most they would sue them for violating their privacy or damaging their reputation. Even if they win the lawsuit, the worst that can happen to their magazine is that they issue an apology statement and put it on the top of the page. Anyway, the news media has always had the power to "report the facts." Even if the stars are furious, there is nothing they can do. It won't stop them from making money or gaining publicity.
But when it comes to Tao Mu, it's different from others. First, the fact that more than a dozen media outlets accepted bribes to discredit Tao Mu was exposed, and then more than a dozen media outlets were charged with accepting bribes, maliciously spreading rumors, and unfair competition. They also had people accurately count the number of newspapers and magazines that had seen their sales and advertising fees soar compared to usual during the period when they were following up on the false news of "Tao Mu selling himself". They directly brought more than a dozen media outlets to court on charges of illegally publishing and disseminating Tao Mu's portrait, infringing on the trademarks and reputation rights of Yese and Feixun.com, and illegally obtaining huge commercial profits. In addition, we also did not forget to calculate the huge losses suffered by Feixun.com, Danmu.com, and the National School Beauty and Campus Prince Selection Contest due to these false reports.
Because it involves multiple charges such as unfair competition and illegal publication, if Tao Mu really wins the lawsuit, they will not only face huge compensation, but may even have to go to jail.
The situation is so critical. I am the fish on the chopping board, what else can I say?
"We are willing to apologize in the newspaper and keep it on the top of the page for a month or even half a year." It was the Mediterranean who spoke first.
I have to say that most ugly people like to think of themselves as beautiful.
Liu Yao sneered and said bluntly: "I know that you intellectuals have a problem, thinking that your mouths and pens are particularly valuable. But in my opinion, your few pieces of tattered newspapers are really not worth 130 million."
"How about I call Lawyer Zhou. You two can talk it over on your own?"
One hundred and thirty million was the total compensation that Liu Yao hired that black-hearted lawyer to ask the court for from more than a dozen media outlets against Tao Mu, Feixun.com, and Yese. Considering that Liu Yao had made him a million before, and that the barrister received a 10% commission for every case he handled. As long as the lawsuit is won, the lawyer will easily get 14 million. It's just too moisturizing.
So right now, the people who are most looking forward to winning the lawsuit are not Ye Se and Tao Mu themselves, but this cruel and ruthless lawyer.
Of course, the editors-in-chief also understand this. Hearing this, he quickly shook his head and waved his hands, saying in horror: "No, no, no, no. We are very sincere, we are very sincere. It's just that——"
The Mediterranean had a bitter face, almost crying: "We really can't come up with 130 million. Boss Liu, didn't you buy a magazine company before? You should know that our magazine company doesn't make any money at all. Everyone is busy here and there, just trying to make ends meet. Let alone 130 million, we can't even come up with 13 million!"
Liu Yao snorted coldly. He believed this. When he acquired the magazine that was on the verge of bankruptcy, he only spent half a million. This includes two months' rent. But he couldn't just let those dozen or so magazines that spread rumors off so easily. He's not doing charity.
If you dare to mess with him or bully their kids, you must be prepared to go to jail.
Liu Yao turned his face towards Tao Mu: "What do you think we should do?"
Before Tao Mu could speak, Meng Qi said slowly, "Feixun.com is developing so well, so it's time for Feixun Entertainment to expand. Aren't you worried about the lack of manpower recently? Why not merge these dozen newspapers and magazines into Feixun Entertainment? We'll just suffer a little loss, because they are so poor that they can't afford to pay 130 million even if they sell everything they have!"
More than a dozen magazine editors looked at Meng Qi with fear in their hearts. They didn't expect that this warm-hearted man who always had a gentle smile and looked so warm and welcoming was the one with the darkest heart.
Swallowing up more than a dozen newspapers and magazines in one go is an attempt to kill them.
Before more than a dozen editors could even speak, Meng Qi said leisurely, "Let's just bear with it and save them from jail."
Editors: “…” Come on, we are the ones being used as the butchers and I am the meat now, what else can I say? Don’t say anything more!
On the other hand, these dozen or so newspapers and magazines are originally third-rate gossip magazines that are not well-known in the industry. Otherwise, he would not have been bribed by Yao Wenxiao's small bribe and done such an unwise thing.
Look at Weibo, and those first-rate newspapers and magazines backed by big capital, no one took Yao Wenxiao's job. I just know that Tao Mu and Feixun.com are not ordinary, so I'm too lazy to wade into this muddy water.
Now that Feixun.com is developing so well, Feixun Entertainment is also booming. Perhaps after these dozen newspapers and magazines are merged into Feixun Entertainment, they will have a brighter future.
A dozen or so editors looked at each other dejectedly for a while, and comforted themselves in a very Ah Q spirit.
Tao Mu frowned. Before he came, he really didn't expect that his father Yao and Xiao Qi's father planned this. But if Feixun Entertainment swallows up these dozen newspapers, what will happen to YeSe’s losses? There are so many people in the night, I can't let them scold me for so many days for no reason.
Liu Yao chuckled, "You don't understand this, do you? These dozen newspapers have been spreading rumors for so many days, and netizens have been discussing it for so many days. Now, Ye Se's name is not only known to everyone, but at least in this area of Yanjing, there is no one more popular than us. You may not know that since Ye Se became famous, many netizens and your little fans have come here to admire your reputation. The dozen or so chain bars under my control are doing a booming business. Especially this store in Houhai, it is packed every night. With such a good publicity momentum, if we want to spend money on advertising, it will not be justified without tens of millions."
Tao Mu was dumbfounded. He understood it this way.
"Why not." Liu Yao rubbed Tao Mu's hair as a matter of course: "We are father and son, and we are a family of three. Don't bother me. Can it be called a disadvantage for a father to give in to his son?" This is definitely a father's love as high as a mountain.
"Besides, doesn't your father Xiao Qi also have a share in Feixun Entertainment? We are all family members, why should we divide it so clearly?"
Tao Mu looked at his father Yao's happy look and smiled too. The cell phone suddenly rang.
Tao Mu took out his cell phone and was stunned. He subconsciously pressed the reject button. Every two seconds, the phone rang again.
"What's wrong?" Meng Qi asked, "Who's calling?"
The name "Chen Chen" came out of his mouth subconsciously. Fortunately, at the critical moment, Tao Mu suddenly realized that he had been reborn.
How could a stranger who was reborn ten years ago and had no connection with the Shen family know Shen Chen's cell phone number?
"I don't know either. It's an unfamiliar number." Tao Mu blocked it directly: "It might be an agent or some harassing call."
"That's possible." Meng Qi said, pulling out dozens of acquisition contracts that had been prepared long ago from under the coffee table. Hand it to Tao Mu first: "See if there are any other clauses that need to be added."
These dozens of contracts were also drafted by Liu Yao, who asked the ruthless lawyer Zhou to do so. Although he was envious of his 13 million share of the lawsuit, Lawyer Zhou also understood that with the financial resources of these dozen or so newspapers, they simply could not come up with so much money. Therefore, his main target is still Yao Wenxiao's Yuxiao Media. These dozen or so newspapers and magazines are just trying to catch rabbits and mow the grass, and it doesn't matter whether he is there or not.
With the professional qualities of a first-class lawyer in Beijing, the acquisition contract he drafted naturally took into full consideration the rights and interests of Feixun Entertainment, and Tao Mu had no need to modify it at all.
Meng Qi smiled and pushed the contract to the dozen or so editors-in-chief: "Sign it when you've made up your mind."
A dozen editors-in-chief: “…” And in such a coercive way.
During this time, Tao Mu's phone kept ringing. The mobile phone number was changed from Shen Chen's number to Shen's father's number, and finally to the two's secretary and assistant's number. It seems like "I won't give up until you answer the phone."
Tao Mu was extremely helpless, and deeply hated that the current smartphones did not have a whitelist system, otherwise he could block all the strange numbers outside the phone book. And now, Tao Mu, who didn't want to turn off his phone, had to answer the call.
"Hello, Mr. Tao. I am Shen Yu's brother Shen Chen. We have met before. I am deeply sorry for what happened recently. Shen Yu is the youngest son of the Shen family, and Shen Yan is the only girl in our family. She has been spoiled by us since she was a child. I would like to apologize in person for the trouble I have caused you." Shen Chen never wastes words and goes straight to the point.
"No need." Tao Mu is in a good mood now and doesn't want to pay attention to the Shen family: "As long as they don't come again--"
"You want to deal with the Saint Ann Group, right?" Before Tao Mu could finish his words, Chen Chen spoke again.
"What?" Tao Mu was caught off guard and couldn't help but repeat himself.
"I know you have a close relationship with Mr. Song. I also know about the old feud between Yao Shengan and Song Ji. I privately speculate that with Mr. Tao's scheming, he may wrong himself, but he will never let the people around him suffer." While Chen Chen was speaking, he raised Tao Mu slightly: "I admire Mr. Tao's character and personality. I wonder if Mr. Tao is willing to make a friend like me."
Tao Mu's heart sank. I don’t know what Chen Chen means by this.
"Okay." After a moment's silence, Tao Mu said in a deep voice: "It is my honor to make friends with such a talented person as Mr. Shen."
"I have booked a private room in the Imperial Kitchen to welcome you tonight." Chen Chen said with a smile.
Father Shen looked at his eldest son who had hung up the phone, frowned and asked, "Do you really want to join forces with the man named Tao to deal with the Sheng'an Group? Is it possible?"
Chen Chen smiled slightly: "It's impossible to rely on Tao Mu and Feixun.com alone. Father, don't forget that Tao Mu is also Li Xiaoheng's partner. Xiaoheng Capital is shorting oil in the international market. The situation is so tense, but Li Xiaoheng can still care about Tao Mu being slandered by more than a dozen gossip magazines in his busy schedule. He even accepted media interviews to help Tao Mu clarify and establish his authority. It can be seen that Li Xiaoheng values his partner very much. If Tao Mu proposed to Li Xiaoheng that he wanted to unite Xiaoheng Capital or even the Li family to destroy the Sheng'an Group, do you think Li Xiaoheng would refuse?"
Father Shen pondered for a while, then sighed sadly: "The Shen family and the Yao family are old friends after all. Previously, when the Shen Group was having trouble with capital turnover, it was mostly the Sheng'an Group that helped with borrowing. Our two families have a tacit understanding."
"We were family friends and partners before. It may not be the case in the future." Shen Chen sat on the leather sofa in the hotel room, leaning forward slightly, pouring a cup of brewed Longjing tea from a pot, and handed it to Shen's father, but a cold arc appeared on his lips: "Yao Shengan is cunning and scheming, and has a sharp vision. He is now targeting the real estate industry and trying his best to let Shengan Group squeeze into the Shanghai housing market. If Yao Shengan hadn't wanted to do the land in Pudong New Area before, which led to the fight between the two tigers, we might not have lost to Luo's Group."
"Father, the pillar industry of Sheng'an Group is catering. Their cash flow is already more abundant than Shen's. With Yao Sheng'an's vision and skills, if he really wants to enter the real estate industry, will Shen's really have the confidence to win over Sheng'an every time in the bidding field?"
"Shanghai is too small. One mountain cannot support two tigers. Since Shen's Group can guarantee the dominance of the company, why should we tolerate two tigers fighting each other?"
Father Shen listened to his son's words and fell silent. After a while, he said, "That being said, can you guarantee that the man named Tao is reliable? Will he tell Yao Sheng'an about your thoughts and then sit back and watch the fight?"
"What can he tell Yao Sheng'an? Say that I admire him for daring to provoke the behemoth of Sheng'an Group?" Chen Chen chuckled: "Don't worry, father. Tao Mu was able to create Feixun.com in a short period of time. He was also able to make Li Xiaoheng trust and respect him so much, which shows that he is a smart man. If he is a smart person, he will not do stupid things."
"But he had such an unhappy quarrel with Yan'er and Yu'er——"
Chen Chen waved his hands: "It's just the kids throwing tantrums. Just talk it out."
"It's because they are all children that it's not easy to persuade them. Otherwise, where would they get the youthful vigor and youthful spirit?" Father Shen smiled bitterly and suddenly said, "Yan'er and Yu'er have been spoiled by me and your mother. They only know how to follow their own temperament in everything and never consider the overall situation. I'm afraid they won't be able to help you in the company in the future. Will you blame me?"
Shen Chen smiled slightly and poured another cup of tea for his father: "Father, you worry too much. Didn't we agree? The Shen family can have me, the eldest son, to take charge of the overall situation. Let Yan'er and Xiaoyu be happy and accompany you two elders. They can also show more filial piety to you and mom on my behalf."
"That's right." Father Shen smiled, looking at his handsome and steady eldest son, he was very relieved: "I am already satisfied to have such an excellent son like you. Our family really doesn't need Yan'er and Yu'er to worry too much about the company. If the two little ones also devote their minds to the company every day like you, your mother and I will be lonely."
Chen Chen smiled slightly and offered tea again: “It’s all because of my son’s unfilial behavior.”
Father Shen took the tea and sighed silently. My son is grown up, and being too outstanding is a headache. As a father, he had to comfort her from time to time. But fortunately, he is the only one in his family who gives him a headache. It is always better to stand out alone than to have brothers quarrel with each other.
"If you want to resolve the grudge between Tao Mu and the Shen family, you have to let Yan'er and Yu'er apologize in person. Yu'er is easy to deal with, he is gentle and obedient. But Yan'er is too arrogant, I'm afraid she is unwilling to bow her head." Father Shen had a headache again when he said this. He just said that there was only one person in their family who needed a headache, and now he's about to be slapped in the face. Fortunately——
"Yan'er is most afraid of you as her brother. You should tell her about this." Father Shen waved his hand and handed the problem to his son. He stood up and said, "I'll go see your mother. You said that the child was fooling around, but why did she become confused as well?"
Chen Chen stood up and escorted his father out of the guest room. After watching his father enter his mother's room, he whispered to his trusted secretary, "Call the eldest lady and Yu'er over."
Shen Yan, who had been waiting anxiously in her room, shuddered when she heard the knock on the door. She quickly hugged Shen Yu and said, "Xiao Yu, Big Brother loves you the most. If Big Brother scolds me later, you must plead for me."
"Yeah." Shen Yu nodded vigorously and held Shen Yan's hand: "Don't worry, sister. I will definitely not let my brother scold you."
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